Navajo County, AZ Property Records: Search Deeds, Owners, Tax Records, and Maps

Navajo County is home to Monument Valley, the Petrified Forest, and large ponderosa pine forests. The county covers 9,949 square miles and has about 86,750 active property parcels spread across desert and mountain areas. Nearly two‑thirds of the land lies within Native American reservations, where property is held communally. The remaining private land is mostly covered by single‑family homes and manufactured housing.

Property records in Navajo County are managed by three offices. The County Recorder keeps deeds, deeds of trust, and plats. The County Assessor values each parcel, and the County Treasurer handles property tax billing and collections. All three offices are located in downtown Holbrook and maintain records dating back to 1895.

Recent records reveal the underlying factors influencing the local real estate market, with a median home value of $129,600 and median rent of $798, alongside a median household income of $43,248.5 and a median real estate tax rate of 0.54 as a percentage of the property's assessed value.

How to Look Up Navajo County Property Records

Navajo County offers free access to property records through several online resources.

Who Keeps Navajo County Property Records

Navajo County property records are maintained by several county offices. These records are made available to the public in accordance with the Arizona Public Records Law. You can contact the following Navajo County offices for access to property records:

• The Navajo County Recorder is the custodian of all recorded real estate documents in the county. These include deeds, deeds of trust, plats, liens, and easements.

• The Navajo County Assessor holds assessment and valuation records of every parcel in the county. It also assigns each parcel an APN, sets the property class, and administers exemptions.

• The Navajo County Treasurer maintains tax records for every real property in the county. The office also collects tax payment, handles delinquencies, and runs the annual tax lien sale.

How to Search Navajo County Property Records Online

Navajo County does not have a single database for all its property records. This means you may need to visit more than one database to complete your search. Follow the steps below to conduct a thorough property records search in Navajo County:

1. Start at the Assessor's property information portal. This portal allows you to view a parcel's ownership information, the Full Cash Value, Limited Property Value, and property characteristics. You can search records on this tool using the property address or owner name.
2. After that, use the County Recorder tool to search Navajo County deeds. This third-party property search tool used by Navajo County Recorder helps you review indexes by grantor and grantee. You can search from both the seller and buyer side to build a full chain of titles.
3. Confirm the current owner on the most recent deed. Then work backward through earlier deeds, checking that each grantor matches the grantee on the deed before it.
4. Run the same index for deeds of trust, liens, and easements. The Affidavit of Property Value filed with a deed also tells you what the property last sold for.
5. Complete the search by confirming the property's current tax status using the Treasurer tax portal.

County Recorder: Deeds, Deeds of Trust, and Plats

This office is responsible for recording and preserving documents that affect real estate ownership and transfer. These documents include deeds, deeds of trust, judgment liens, easements, and subdivision plats.

The Navajo County Recorder Office indexes documents by grantor, grantee, document type, and recording date. You can search the county's index using the County Recorder tool.

County Assessor: Ownership, Values, and Parcel Data

The Navajo County Assessor’s Office appraises every parcel in the county. This process helps the office to establish fair market value for all property for tax purposes. In addition, the office maintains official property ownership records, assessment maps, and processes statutory property tax exemptions for qualifying seniors and disabled individuals. See the table below for more information about the office.

County Treasurer: Tax Bills and Payments

The Navajo County Treasurer’s Office handles the collection of property taxes in the county. Under state law, property owners are allowed to pay their taxes in two installments. The first installment is due October 1 and becomes delinquent after November 1, while the second is due March 1 and becomes delinquent after May 1. Taxpayers may alternatively pay the full annual amount by December 31. Failure to pay before or on the due dates lead to interest added to the tax bill. If the bill remains unpaid, the county Treasurer may initiate a foreclosure action.

Property Tax in Navajo County: Values, Exemptions, and Appeals

Navajo County property taxes are determined by multiplying your property’s Limited Property Value (LPV) by the legal assessment ratio. The outcome is then multiplied by the combined local tax rate and divided by 100.

Full Cash Value and Limited Property Value

The two values do different jobs. The Full Cash Value is the Assessor's estimate of market value and is the one you would challenge in an appeal. The Limited Property Value is the taxable figure, held down by the 5 percent annual cap. For an owner-occupied home, the assessment ratio is 10 percent, so only a tenth of the Limited Property Value feeds into the rate calculation.

Exemptions and relief

Appealing your value

The Navajo County Assessor's Office mails a Notice of Valuation to all property owners annually. If the property owner feels that their property has been improperly valued, they may petition the Assessor for review within 60 days of the notice date, or file directly with the state's Tax Court. Petitioners must prove that their property's valuation is erroneous by providing evidence such as recent comparable sales and independent appraisal report.

GIS Maps and Parcel Viewer

Navajo County runs interactive maps that link each parcel to its ownership and assessment record. If you seek records that go beyond county boundaries, you may use the Arizona State Land Department tool.

Tax-Lien Sales and Foreclosure

Arizona handles delinquent taxes in two ways.

Tax-lien sales

Arizona uses a tax lien certificate system. As a result, the county Treasurer can sell unpaid property taxes to investors at a public auction. Interested persons compete by lowering the interest rate from a 16 percent cap. The winner receives a Certificate of Purchase, which gives them the lien but not ownership. Under state law, the property owner can redeem the lien within three years by paying the taxes and interest. If the lien is not redeemed after three years, the investor may file a court case to foreclose the owner’s right to redeem under ARS 42-18201.

Deed-of-trust foreclosure

This is a nonjudicial process that is initiated when a borrower defaults on a mortgage loan. The trustee named in the deed of trust can sell the property at a public auction without going to court. After a trustee's sale there is generally no right of redemption.

Costs to Access Property Records

Searching the online index is free. Fees apply when you need a copy or are recording a new document.

Recording fees are set statewide by ARS 11-475. Confirm the current schedule with the Recorder before filing, since the flat fee is updated from time to time.

How to Record a Document

Arizona law governs the form of any instrument that conveys an interest in real property. The four-step process:

1. Confirm the document meets Arizona format rules, including having original signatures, a notary acknowledgment, a proper legal description, and the required margins and paper size for recording.
2. Complete an Affidavit of Property Value where required, stating the sale price or the basis for an exemption. It is filed with the deed at recording.
3. Submit to the Recorder in person, by mail, or through an approved e-recording vendor. Pay the flat recording fee.
4. Once recorded, the original is returned to the filer, and the document image posts to the online index within a short processing window.

FAQs

Quick Reference: Your Navajo County Property Records Checklist

Match each row to your task to find the fastest path through the system.

Key Contacts and Official Portals